Fódlan Alternative II

{Part Two: Crimson Flower} Chapter Twenty-Three: Dying Breath I

At the start of the next month, You rise to your feet as Seraphine manifests before You. Both You and Seraphine wear solemn expressions that show that You know exactly what is coming within the next few weeks.

Seraphine: This next fight... This is going to be it. We're going to take on Argades, and after that... Everything will be over.

You tell her that You are going to do what You have to in the name of the future.

Seraphine: I know you will... And I'm happy to hear it.

You ask what is wrong upon realizing that there is something else on her mind.

Seraphine: I suppose I've just been thinking... And it's strange to think that in order to bring the world to a brighter future, we have to kill a brother that you never had the chance to know.

You look down with a frown on your face.

Seraphine: You and Argades are the only ones who managed to survive out of all of Hendrix's children. You were taken away by Evenor when the dust began to settle, and he left when he was young thanks to his mother being a noble in the Empire... I can't believe that we're going to have to fight against the only other survivor of those awful experiments.

You say that You know what must be done even so.

Seraphine: Yes... You're right. His pain is no excuse for him to lash out at the rest of the world. We have to do what we can to keep the people of this continent safe, and if it means fighting against him, then... So be it.

You nod and say that You will fight with everything You have.

Seraphine: I knew you would say that... And I'm looking forward to seeing where this brings us after the war is over.

You say that You are ready for it as well.

Seraphine: Though we have to get to that point before we can get our hopes up... Only one battle remains, and after that, we'll just have to see what comes of it. This is it... And we're ready for it.

You start to walk up towards the cardinals' room as Seraphine dissipates. When You arrive, You find the Black Eagles standing there as is to be expected.

Polly: This is going to be it... Our final battle against Argades is finally here, and it's going to decide the fate of the Empire.

Aquillus: I would argue that it's going to change the way the continent operates forever... War tends to do that though, I suppose.

Tuncay: Now that we've gotten rid of every other ally that he could rely on, we're going to be able to get rid of him easily.

Florence: Enbarr is going to be the backdrop for our final strike... I can't believe that we're almost at the end of it all.

Callisto: I'm looking forward to it. I'm tired of all of this, and I think we all deserve a bit of peace and quiet.

Hegias: You can say that again... There's a lot riding on our victory here, and after the battle is over...

Herwig: The war will finally be over... One way or another, everything is going to start winding down at last.

Zelhira: Then I guess we had better be ready for all of it... He's not going to want to hold back on us after all that we've already accomplished.

Chris: The preparations for the final battle have already begun, and I know that it's going to leave us at an advantage. He might be inhabiting the city right now, but we've got a lot more fighting power than he realizes. If we play our cards right, we'll be able to oust him from the city once and for all and make sure that he never has the chance to do something like this again.